Acquiisition from www.Google.com

1. Maya Gods and Religious Beliefs (KS2)
Posted 29/12/2016 ·
Maya gods, goddesses anddeities, along with the religious beliefs attached to them, changed
over the course of several millennia. This creates much confusion that we’ll try to dissipate in
this article.
This resource can be use for the History Key Stage 2 (KS2) curriculum.
A depiction of the maize god from the murals of San Bartolo, Guatemala
NB: specialists of the Maya civilisation say “Maya gods”, “Maya religion” and not “Mayan
gods” etc. The adjective “Mayan” isused only in reference to languages (see: 10 red-flags for
spotting unreliable online resources on the Maya).
Pagecontent:

2.  Maya Cosmos
 Ancient Maya Deities
 Major Maya Gods andGoddesses
 HumanSacrifices inMaya religion
 Modern Maya Religion
 How do we know what we know: Sources on Maya religious beliefs
 Resources: Lesson plan
 References
The Maya Cosmos: The Underworld, the Earth andthe Sky
Despite strong continuities, Maya cosmography (i.e. worldview), mythology and religious
beliefs havechanged through time and the influence of other cultures such as
the Olmecs, Teotihuacan, the Toltecs, the Aztecs and the Spanish Christians is noticeable.
In a nutshell
The Classic Maya conceived the universe as a threefold world composed of the earth, the
celestial realm (i.e. the sky above), and the Underworld (“Xibalba” in Maya Quiché) below.
The earth is seen as a caiman or a turtle floating in the primordial sea1
.
The world of the living (i.e. the Earth) is divided in four quadrants organised according to
the cardinal directions. West and East are determined by the points were the sun rises and
sets during the winter andsummer solstices. North is link with the Sun atits zenith and the

3. South with the Sun atits nadir and consequently with the Underworld. Each direction is
associated with a specific colour. At the centre of the world grows the cosmic tree2
.
The watery Underworld was the dwelling place of the gods and also the resting place of the
ancestors.
That’s where the souls of the people would go after they passed away.
Waterways to the afterlife

4. Caves and water bodies such aslakes were considered passageways to Underworld. They
were “liminal” (i.e. “transitional”) places occupying a position on both sides of a boundary
between two worlds: the world of the living (i.e. the earth) andthe world of the dead,
ancestors and deities (i.e. the Underworld). As such, they were, andstill are, important loci
for religious ceremonies.

5. Ceramic plate with Maize god emerging from the earth symbolized by a turtle shell. The
elements underneath the shell represents the primordial sea (Late Classic Period A.D. 680–
750) Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.